Gleaning Joker
While most people out this evening were doing something involving alcohol, I took a long walk to think, glean, and take photographs. I mostly walked around the South End because I like the buildings there, especially at night — everything is better at night. If I were to move, I’d move to the South End.
Pictured above is the small haul I gleaned. Walking down Pine St. (I think) I saw a joker on the sidewalk, a joker in the grass, an ace of hearts in the dirt, two jokers further up, and so on until I picked up five jokers and three aces. It’s appropriate I should find these because I’ve been thinking about cards: whether something is or isn’t in the cards and when I had my cards read a few months ago everything I was told is turning out to be true. In regards to the latter, I don’t usually believe in such things. A few years ago a Wiccan read my palm and what she said would happen really did happen. Perhaps I’ve just been lucky. Besides, I don’t want to know my future, I prefer to be surprised.
I snapped photos too.
Filed Under: Found on the Ground + Gleaning + Nocturnal Meanderings + Photography
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The Gleaners and I
glean verb
• extract (information) from various sources
• collect gradually and bit by bit
• gather (leftover grain or other produce) after a harvest
Once in a great while I watch a movie that gets me so excited and motivated I start foaming at the mouth and jump up and down. This happened to me last night when I watched The Gleaners and I.
The Gleaners and I is a French documentary by Agnès Varda. Armed with a hand-held camera, she travels to different parts of France, documenting the various aspects of gleaning: types of gleaning, gleaners, and the laws on gleaning.
She travels to potato fields, apple groves, and vineyards, in the rural areas of France to document the original type of gleaning where people gather what’s leftover after the harvest. It’s amazing how much is left after the harvesters (usually a machine) have gone through. Moments after the harvesters are done, the gleaners arrive to pick their fill. Not surprisingly, the places that have a problem with gleaning are the vineyards.
She then travels to the city to document urban gleaning. After the outdoor markets close, gleaners search the ground for fruit, vegetables, fish, and meat — one gentleman, walks around eating what he finds as if he were at a buffet. She talks to others who get all their food from trash bins.
She interviewed an artist who works exclusively with found materials. His work was amazing. He obtains all of his art supplies by biking to various refuse collection spots around Paris. Another artist, who obtains his supplies the same way, created his home out of junk (a lot were doll parts, his preferred medium).
You can see why this movie appealed to me: I’m a gleaner. I’ve often wondered why I glean. I guess I’m just looking for something, but I don’t know what it is. I’ll know when I find it. Of course, I may never find it and that’s OK because looking is the fun part.
Watching this movie made me remember something: When I was younger, I used to go to the potato fields behind my house (I posted a panoramic photograph of the fields a few posts ago) with my mother and grandfather after the harvest and we’d glean the fields. Then, we’d go back home and cook them.
Thanks to Eva for recommending this movie, you rock!